{"id":128385,"date":"2023-10-13T16:36:46","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T16:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/10\/13\/nearly-70-of-active-service-members-are-overweight-report-finds\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:06:38","slug":"nearly-70-of-active-service-members-are-overweight-report-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2023\/10\/13\/nearly-70-of-active-service-members-are-overweight-report-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 70% of active service members are overweight, report finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

More than two-thirds of active duty service members are within the overweight or obese ranges of the body mass index, according to a report by the American Security Project<\/a> released Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defense Department data shows that the obesity rate, calculated using a person\u2019s age, height and weight, has more than doubled over the past decade<\/a>, from 10% to roughly 21%. At the same time, more than half of young Americans now qualify as obese, and it\u2019s the no. 1 disqualifier for recruiting prospects<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt a time when we are struggling to recruit an adequate labor force for the military, the growing rates of obesity are especially alarming,\u201d said Matthew Wallin, chief operating officer of the American Security Project. \u201cNo person defending our country should find themselves unsupported and unequipped to fight a personal battle against obesity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report\u2019s major recommendations include reviewing body composition standards, as BMI tends to underestimate obesity when compared to more high-tech body fat measurement devices; troops with high BMI should be referred to credentialed doctors with an expertise in treating obesity; and DoD should include BMI data on reports it provides to Congress on recruiting and retention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe growing prevalence of obesity in service members reduces the readiness of the all-volunteer military, but it isn\u2019t a moral failing; it\u2019s a health crisis,\u201d the report reads. \u201cFraming obesity as an issue of insufficient willpower or discipline prevents soldiers from seeking and receiving treatment, makes commanders and healthcare workers less inclined to intervene, and worsens health outcomes across the services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BMI, which is based on a 200-year-old calculation<\/a> that sought to define the body composition of the \u201cnormal man,\u201d has faced controversy in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Medical Association in June updated its policy<\/a> on BMI, acknowledging \u201chistorical harm\u201d and \u201cracist exclusion\u201d associated with the index, \u201cbecause BMI is based primarily on data collected from previous generations of non-Hispanic white populations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new policy urges doctors to use BMI as one measure of body composition, complemented by measurements of visceral fat, body adiposity index, body composition, relative fat mass, waist circumference and genetic\/metabolic factors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t